Instead, state Sen. Terry Link said supporters will continue to work on a new compromise plan with Quinn, pulling the governor back into the debate over whether Arlington Park can have 1,200 slot machines and Lake County, Chicago and three other locations can have casinos.

Lawmakers have to act within 15 days of a veto being placed in the Senate Journal. That time ran out Thursday, meaning Quinn's rejection stands for good.

Link had said previously he preferred a compromise deal to overriding Quinn.

Link said Friday that slots at horse tracks and a Lake County casino should be part of a new deal, but he doesn't know how else a new proposal would differ from the one Quinn rejected.

"I really can't tell right now," Link said. "There will be tweaks to it. There's no doubt about it."

Quinn has asked for tougher ethics reforms, including a ban on campaign contributions from gambling interests.

Lawmakers return to Springfield next week, but action on gambling might wait for the opening days of January. All legislation resets Jan. 9 when a new class of lawmakers is set to be sworn in, so gambling supporters would have to race against the clock to beat that deadline or else start over again.

The new class has far more freshmen than normal, leaving dozens of lame-duck lawmakers who might be more willing to vote for a controversial plan like gambling expansion.

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